The NeverEnding Story (1984)

Director: Wolfgang Petersen

Starring: Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach

A troubled boy dives into a wondrous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.

Ahh, the moment the film begins that awesome theme song takes me back to a time of real filmmaking, when practical effects were the order of the day (instead of CGI). The song in question? The Never Ending Story by Limahl, one of the best and most memorable theme songs ever.

Young Bastian (Barret Oliver) recently lost his mother, and he is being bullied at school. In order to escape from reality, he reads a lot. And so one day he stumbles upon a magical book called The NeverEnding Story. As Bastian starts to read, the viewer is transported to the world of Fantasia, a fantasy world that is slowly being destroyed by a force referred to as ‘The Nothing’.

In order to save their dying world, Fantasia turns to the Empress for help. But when they learn the Empress has fallen ill, a boy warrior, Atreyu (Noah Hathaway), offers his help. He must go on a quest to find a cure for the Empress, so she can save Fantasia. As Atreyu goes on his dangerous journey, ‘The NeverEnding Story’ delivers the ultimate fantasy adventure. At the start of Atreyu’s quest, a creature of darkness also begins its quest, tasked with killing Atreyu.

‘The NeverEnding Story’ boasts an incredible production design, puppetry, practical effects, amazing sets, and visuals (for its time, off course). Now add a feast of interesting and unusual characters and you have a film unlike any other. The film felt like a video game with all its different levels, and it is highly entertaining and exciting. (I actually never realized there was such a deeper meaning to the film as well…)

The character of Atreyu is a very demanding role for a young actor, but Noah Hathaway does a fantastic job and carries the film with ease. At the time, he was just 13 years old.

‘The NeverEnding Story’ won awards for Best Production Design, and Best Performance by a Younger Actor (for Noah Hathaway, off course). The film earned $100 million on a budget of $25 million. It was followed by two sequels – none of which are as good or memorable.

Would I watch it again? Yes.